Sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf wrote in 1997 that "a century of authoritarianism is by no means the least likely prognosis for the 21st century". Due to economic globalization and digitalization, changes in the realms of life and work are vast and far-reaching, with profound consequences for democracy. This development, however, is not new---a look at globalization from the end of World War I to post-1945 Europe reveals comparable crises. Bridging literary, historical, economic and technological perspectives, this two-day conference examines the successes, and failures, of democracies, and analyzes a possible return of anti-democratic trends, both in present-day Europe and internationally.

The paper discusses how Stefan Zweig assimilated the loss of his home country in several literary projects. Thinking of Zweigs mission for a European unification from the thirties, we now have to look at persons, which are interested, from in and outside this continent, in destroying Europe once more.

This talk considers Robert Menasses largely satirical portrayal of the dysfunctional EU in his contemporary novel Die Hauptstadt (2017), against the background of the renewed popular interest in Stefan Zweig.

In this presentation, we look at Stefan Zweigs exile in Brazil and at the influence of the concept of the noble savage on his attempt to reinvent humanity from a humanitarian perspective in response to Nazi barbarism.

1:45-2:10 Thomas Olechowski (Institute for Legal and Constitutional History, Universität Wien): The Essence and Value of Democracy: Hans Kelsen and the rise of Communism and Fascism"

Though Hans Kelsen is known throughout the world as the founder of a legal theory model, called the Pure Theory of Law, he also penned significant works on the theory of democracy, including The Essence and Value of Democracy (1920). This talk discusses Kelsens rejection of the idea that an individual could represent a whole people, as he pointed out the weaknesses of an estate assembly as propagated by the Austro-Fascists.

The lecture combines a biography of Charles Adams Gulick, focusing on his scientific work and interests, with an analysis of the historiographic debate he motivated around the discourse of domestic politics in Austria with his two-volume magnum opus From Habsburg to Hitler (1948).

2:50-3:30 Gunter Bischof (Department of History, University of New Orleans) and Hans Petschar (Austrian National Library): "The Marshall Plan and the Survival of Democracy in Postwar Austria: US Foreign Aid and Economic and Political Reconstruction in Austria"

The Marshall Plan quickly became part of the American Cold War Communist containment strategy of supporting democratic governance and building a security framework in Western Europe; the launching of the European Recover Plan in 1948 firmed up the tenuous division of Europe in East and West. We will also emphasize ERPs successful media campaigns and communication strategies.